By Onochiengwu Obuna

We live in a world of ideas and ideas rule the world. In all fields of human endevour, it is better ideas that rule.

Thus we have philosophical ideas, Political ideas, Economic ideas, Mathematical/Scientific ideas and Theories, etc. In the field of Political Science, the ideas of people like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, AV Dicey, Baron De Montesqiue, Nicollo Machiavelli; Karl Max have contributed immensely in that field of study.

The ideology of the Ten Commandments of politics is built upon the political ideas of Aristotle and Nicollo Machiavelli that:

  1. Man is a Political Animal
  2. The best Political Animal is a half-man, half-animal (Centaur) who is characteristically a Lion and a Fox.

According to Aristotle, human beings are Social Animals and therefore naturally seek companionship of others as part of their well being. In his politics, Aristotle believed that man was a political Animal because he is a social creature with power or speech and moral reasoning. According to Aristotle, when man is separated from law and justice, he is the worst of Animals. Aristotle sold these ideas to the world and the world believed and swallowed those political ideas hook line and sinker.

In the days of Machiavellis, Cruelty and murder had become nomal of Government Agencies; good faith and truthfullness had becomes childish scruples to which an enlightened man would hardly give lipservice. Force and craft had become the keys to success. Machiavelli, a practical theorist wrote therefore out of experience in his work, and concluded that the Prince should be a human animal (Centaur) with the characteristics of a Lion and a Fox in order to control and effectively maintain a viable state. The world did not only swallow his ideas hookline and sinker but Machavelli’s brilliant ideas became a model or operational yardstick in measuring who is a real politician of all times.

My using the characters or behaviours of certain animals to depict the characters or behaviours of human political Animals of the contemporary world is not out of order because even Charles Darwin in his theory of Evolution made us to believe or understand that man evolved from the Primates (Apes). Also those who believe in a kindd of mystical existence tries to convince us that every individual has a totem animal. Some of the animals mentioned in the ten commandments of politics mean different things to different peoples and cultures. In Asia, culture especially India, Elephant is a symbol of WISDOM AND ROYAL POWER. Elephant is the symbol of Authority in Sri Lanka and is reflected in the Coat of Arms or flags of political parties in Asian and African countries.

The highest in Denmark is the ORDER OF THE ELEPHANT. The Chinese reverence the tortoise which they believe has majical/mystical powers that can be used to predict and control the future for the common good of the society. The king according to them must be as wise as the tortoise.

The ideology of the ten commandments of politics can be said to be a set of ideas or theories, a set of believes, which explains or influences the way the politicians behave in any given State or in the International Systems.

There is no doubt that the poems are very funny and satirical but make a lot of sense with deep meaning. Some people say they are mystical poems, while some say they are esoteric poems.

Nigeria of today is politically worse than Machiavelli’s Italy and has defied solutions proferred by political scientist. Most Nigerians do not believe in the corporate existence of Nigeria any longer while others do. Thus:

Some say Nigerian’s ill fated contraption

To others it’s fastest oil milking Estate,

Some say Nigerian’s is a failed State

To others it’s divine opportunity to rule,

Some say Nigerian’s a Zoo for the Fool

To others it’s golden opportunity to harm,

Some say Nigeria’s worst animal farm

To others ripe for freedom, emancipation,

Nigerian’s deep as ocean or deep blue sea

Even if you want the devil, you will see.

My own believe or idea is that the human political animal has to possess all the attributes or characterisits of all the beasts mentioned in the two versions of the ten commandments of politics in order to effectively control and manage the affairs of a state like Nigeria for the common good of all Nigerians.

The first version of the commandment of politics was written in 1994 and first published on Wednesday August 2nd 1995 when I was still an under graduate in the Department of Political Science University of Nigeria Nsukka. It was written in the era of the reign of tenor General Sani Abacha who was widely noted for his no nonsense style of leadership. Both the domestic elites and the international community view what was happening in Nigeria’s political circle as complete madness. It was from this standpoint that I had to do the work of an Esoteric Word Smith hence the coinage MADMEN RAVE.

M     Mighty

A     Authority

D     Dangerous

M     Mischievious

E     Elusive

N     Notorious

R     Rewarding

A     Adoration

V     Violent

E     Educating

The end words in each commandment were arranged in such a way as to form MADMEN RAVE.

Fig. 1: Dedicated to Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka.

I graduated from law faculty in the same University of Nigeria Enugu campus in 2006 and it was while I was in Law School that the idea of the Second Version of the Ten Commandments of Politics crystallized.

Wise Rulers

W    Weights

L     Intelligent

S     Smart

E     Elusive

  1. Rewarding
  2. Usual
  3. Over-Lording
  4. Esteem
  5. Rogues
  6. Strongest

WISE RULERS

(The Ten Commandments Of Politics)

Fig. 2: Dedicated to the Founding Fathers of Nigeria (Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello).

Nigeria was under a democratically elected government when this person was published and the message I had in mind then either rightly or wrongly was that Nigerian politicians are now wise rulers.

The two versions of the poems above in figures 1 and 2 are fundamentally the same or are virtually saying the same thing. I have to call them scientific poetry because, what is science if not;

  1. Knowledge about the structure and behaviour of natural and physical world, based on facts that can be proved or;
  2. A system for organizing the knowledge about a particular subject especially one concerned with aspects of human behaviour or society – A science of political behaviour; a science of international relations.

This being the case, researchable questions can be derived by political scientists, which are nice topics for both Masters Degree and PhD Thesis, from any commandment in the two versions of the ten commandments of politics. For now, two questions can be raised here which are as follows:

  1. The Philosophy of Over-Lording as a Game in Nigeria: Tracing the Ascendency of Executive Rascality in a Democratic Setting.
  2. The Emergence of Lion Kings in Nigerian Politics: Incumbency and Dorminance in the Nascent Democracy, 1999-2019.

Let us now move into the arena of international politics or international relations. According to Hedley Bull, Hans Morgentau, etc, we live in an anarchical international system where might is right. A kind of international jungle in a way. In view of the facts that:

  1. Some lawyers and political scientists have stated that international law is not law strict sensu.
  2. Some lawyers and political scientist have defined or seen law as a web where small insects (animals) are trapped while big animals destroyed/violates it and go scott-free. This will make us to apply the ideology of the ten commandment polticis also in the international political arena to describe or interprete what happen there.

In international politics, key players come from several countries with different cultural, political and ideological backgrounds and interests. Between 1945 – 1989, the world was at different times close to nuclear war due to the conflicting interests between the Westers Ideological Block led by USA and the Eastern Block led by the USSR. Even now we are about to move into a new world order, where China is trying to assume the role of the policeman of the world using her aggressive economic and monetary policies which is very inimical to the rest of the world. China sees herself as the great Dragon.

I will now assign some behaviour or characteristics attributed to animals mentioned in the ten commandments of politics to specific countires for the purposes of this work. I have also in doing this reflected the percentage such a country has in relation to world population.

Country Population 2020  Population Percentage (2017)  Characteristics/behaviour in world politics
USA 330 million 4.3% Lions and Eagles: The Lion King of the World due to her Military might.
China 1.44 billion 18.5% Pythons and Cobras: Has almost swallowed the world economically
India 1.37 billion 17.9% Elephants: very strong and mighty.
UK 66 million 0.87% Tortise and foxes: The best Diplomats of all times.
Japan 125 million 1.7% Golden Gosee: Economic Giant.
Nigeria 206 million 2.6% Chamaleon: Copies every nation but lacks in strength and will power to become a world power.

 

In international politics, if 18% of pythons and cobras are pitched against 4% of Lions

What type of economic relationship/contradictions do you think will ensure between the two groups of political animals taking into considerations of the bitter economic and trade war that ensured even before the outbreak of covid 19 pandemic? More advanced mathematical models will be applied in this work using Games Theory especially Prisoner’s dilemma, this will be done in the book am developing.

I have to stop so far but I will acknowledge my teachers whom I am seriously indebted to, they are as follow:

  1. Professor M. O. Olisah (who supervised my undergraduate project).
  2. Professor Asisia Asobie (Former ASUU Chairman)
  3. Professor Miran Ikejiani-Clerk (Former Minister for FCT)
  4. Professor Elochukwu Amuchazi (Ohaneze Ndigbo Chieftaincy)
  5. Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu (INEC Commissioner)
  6. Professor Aforka Nweke (former Adviser to General IBB)
  7. Professor Ken Ifesinachi (my Master’s Degree Supervisor)
  8. Professor Jonah Onuoha (State)
  9. Prof Obasi Igwe (my first PhD Supervisor)
  10. Prof. Aloysius Okorie Michael (my present PhD supervisor.)
  11. Dr. Gerald Ezirim (in-law)
  12. Dr. Fidelis OKoro (Editor of my poems)
  13. Prince Malachy Eze (1st Class Brain)

©Onochiengwu Obuna Augustine Esq.

Department Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, +2348036767229, +2348132665665, [email protected], [email protected]